St. Lucie County Humane Society volunteers were showing off dogs outside the store over the weekend. A 3-year-old terrier named Boston was sitting in a volunteer’s lap when a girl came up to pet him, witnesses said.

The dog nipped the girl’s side, but it did not break the skin, and the girl’s father flew into a rage, police said.

"He ran into the store and said,’Call 911! This dog just bit my daughter,'" volunteer Diane Shaw told WPBF 25 News' John Dzenitis. “Then he came back outside and he pulled the dog from the handler, and just pulled it away by the back of the neck and picked it up over his head and slammed it to the ground."

The dog suffered a compound fracture to one of its back legs from the impact and was bleeding. Shaw said Gibson tried to stomp on the dog but was stopped by some bystanders.

"He wanted to put an end to the animal in the most vicious way," Shaw said.

The dog was taken to Tri-County Animal Hospital where it underwent surgery. Veterinarians said Boston will receive a plate and maybe a screw in his leg, but they expect him to make a full recovery.

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